Debate on Labour’s controversial new disciplinary rules on antisemitism timed for Jewish sabbath when observant Jews cannot participate
The Labour Party has timed a debate on proposed new disciplinary procedures for antisemitism complaints at its annual conference for the Jewish sabbath, Shabbat, when religiously observant Jews will be unable to participate.
The Party has also failed to consult the Jewish community or even its own Jewish affiliate over the proposals.
Under the proposed rules, panels of Labour’s National Executive Committee would have the power to expel members in disciplinary cases, particularly over antisemitism, whereas currently only the Party’s National Constitutional Committee can do so.
Although Labour claims that this will speed up the expulsion process, what it in fact does is to put the decision in the hands of allies of the Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, under whose leadership Labour has become institutionally antisemitic. Rather than helping to alleviate the Party’s antisemitism crisis, there is every reason to expect that the new rules would exacerbate the problem yet further.
A spokesman for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Scheduling an important debate on disciplining antisemitism in the Labour Party on a day when many Jews will be excluded from participation can only be the product of gross ignorance of Jewish practice or a wilful intention to mute opposition to a counterproductive proposal. The new rules will do nothing to regain the trust of the Jewish community in an institutionally antisemitic party.”
On 28th May, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a full statutory investigation following a formal referral and detailed legal representations from Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is the complainant.
In recent months, twelve MPs and three peers have resigned from the Labour Party over antisemitism, along with a large number of MEPs, councillors and members.
Over 55,000 people have now signed our petition denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an antisemite and declaring him “unfit to hold any public office.”
UPDATE: The vote on the new rules was carried.